A pass-happy offense that rang up 40 points against 2A 1st District-leading Murray was halted Friday as Trigg County dominated Ballard Memorial 53-6.

Trigg head coach Shannon Burcham credited his defense for executing the game plan that kept Bomber quarterback Alex Mallory from getting comfortable for most of the game.

“We’ve done different things in coverage while still bringing pressure,” Burcham said. “We saw that if we sat in zone coverage, he’d pick us apart. We went with man and had guys lock down on their best receivers, and they did an outstanding job. Most of their catches were in the backfield.”

Burcham said Trigg’s current four-game winning streak, which has run the team’s record to 5-4, is due to continued week-to-week improvements on both sides of the ball.

“We’re doing a lot of things right,” Burcham said. “We ran and threw the ball pretty well tonight, and we were solid defensively. I’m proud of what we’ve been able to do.”

The Wildcats stopped Ballard’s first drive to start the game, then scored touchdowns on their first five offensive drives of the night. The first was capped by an 11-yard touchdown run by quarterback Andrew Stewart.

Trigg then scored on a 17-yard run by Dillon Cionko, a three-yard catch by Jamus McAtee, a 14-yard run by McAtee and a 42-yard catch by Josh Adams, giving Trigg a 33-0 halftime advantage.

Trigg failed to score on its first drive of the second half, but on the first play of Ballard’s initial third-quarter possession, Adams intercepted a Mallory pass and ran 45 yards for a touchdown.

With 6:23 left in the third quarter, Ballard finally got on the board with a 60-yard touchdown pass from Mallory to Alex Hill, who was wide open due to a busted coverage by Trigg.

“Nobody did anything right on that play, including me,” Burcham said.

Trigg quickly responded when Cionko scored on a 71-yard run, the team’s longest rush of the season.

Backup quarterback Hunter Allen scored on a one-yard sneak in the fourth quarter.

Trigg returns to action Friday at Warren East in the regular season finale for both teams. A Wildcat victory would guarantee a winning record regardless of postseason play. Burcham said Trigg typically doesn’t play well in games like this, which could add to pressure going into the contest.

“We want to do something Trigg hasn’t always done well before, and this group has already done that this year,” Burcham said. “They’ve accomplished some things other Trigg teams haven’t done before, so we need to just keep moving forward and keep our eye on the next opponents.”

The Wildcats are set to host Owensboro Catholic in the first round of the 2A tournament Nov. 6. Since 2001, when Trigg moved to Class 2A, the Wildcats have faced the Aces in the playoffs six times, winning only one of those meetings (2001).

“We’ll take whoever gets here, but this group would be excited to have a chance at Owensboro Catholic with a chance to win,” Burcham said.

JV/Freshmen: Trigg’s junior varsity and freshmen teams each lost last week.

Monday, the JV Wildcats lost 38-30 at Webster County to end their season.

Thursday, the freshmen team lost 12-8 to Graves. David Wease scored a 20-yard touchdown run, and Hunter Allen added the two-point conversion.

Trigg’s freshmen will end their season Thursday against Hopkins County Central at Perdue Field.